Abstract:
Strong earthquake with moment magnitude MW7.5 hit the city of İzmit, Turkey with devastating effect in August 1999. The earthquake occurred in the North Anatolian Fault (NAF) and was followed by an intensive aftershock activity. It is assumed that the 1999 MW7.5 earthquake is a part of a seismic sequence along the North Anatolian Fault that started in 1939, causing large earthquakes that moved progressively from east to west over a period of 60 years or more. Studying time distribution of earthquakes is very important for understanding the physics of the earthquake generation process. In the present study temporal pattern of earthquake distribution in aftershock sequence of the 17 august 1999 MW7.5 Turkey earthquake is analysed. The properties of aftershock sequences (distinct cluster in space and time) allow time-dependent prediction of aftershock probabilities. Because of the factors such as location and radiation pattern, and the cumulative nature of building damage, aftershocks can cause more damage than the main shock.